Category: Friday Facts and Figures

Friday Facts and Figures: October 13, 2023

Posted on by Louis DiPaolo

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond.
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130,000

Roughly 130,000 low-income New Jersey residents lost their Medicaid coverage over the summer after federal public health emergency protections ended and states were allowed to resume Medicaid terminations. Of note, the vast majority of terminations were for procedural reasons, meaning many of these residents likely still qualify for Medicaid but lost their coverage anyway due to issues with the application. “You have to remember that many of these families enrolled in Medicaid for the first time during the pandemic, so they have never navigated this renewal process before,” said NJPP’s Brittany Holom-Trundy. If you or someone you know needs help enrolling in NJ FamilyCare, New Jersey Citizen Action offers free health care enrollment assistance. [NJ Spotlight News / Lilo Stainton]

Never

Commuters rallied in Newark this week to urge Governor Murphy and state lawmakers to fully fund NJ Transit instead of cutting service and increasing fares. Riders shared their experiences on NJ Transit, highlighting how chronic underfunding has resulted in unreliable service: “My daughter has had her pay docked, she’s lost hours at work because the bus is late and she gets to work late,” said Carla Cortes of Passaic County and a member of Make the Road New Jersey. NJPP’s Alex Ambrose also spoke at the rally to point out that NJ Transit, in addition to being severely underfunded, has never had a dedicated source of state funding, unlike every other comparable transit agency in the country. [NorthJersey.com / Colleen Wilson]

Double

Earlier this week, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop unveiled a new plan to double affordable housing production across the state as part of his gubernatorial campaign platform. The plan calls for removing barriers to affordable housing production, enforcing and exceeding the standards outlined in the state’s Fair Housing Act, promoting transit oriented development, a state-wide right to counsel in eviction proceedings, and more. “When you talk about affordability in New Jersey, most campaigns talk about taxes,” Mayor Fulop said. “And the reality is that the conversation around affordability is much more complicated than that – and housing is a key part of that.” [NJ Globe / Ricky Suta]

Over-the-Counter

In just a few months, New Jersey will join 30 other states in making birth control available over-the-counter without a prescription. The change is made possible by legislation signed by Governor Murphy earlier this year, and sales can begin as early as spring once new rules are finalized. Big shout out to Senator Shirley Turner (D-Mercer) for championing this issue and sponsoring this legislation five times since 2015, and Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Mercer) for sponsoring the bill in the Assembly. [NJ Monitor / Dana DiFillipo]

ICYMI

Join us on Wednesday in Montclair as we discuss ways to push back on corporate power. We have a great lineup of speakers and panelists, including Assemblywoman Britnee Timberlake, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller, and New Jersey Working Families Director Antoinette Miles. The event is free but space is limited, so register now to reserve a spot! [NJPP / Progress 2023]

Pets of NJPP

Meet Jasmine, a proud (and warm) member of the NJPP extended family! Jasmine lives in Arlington, Virginia with her mom, Maggie, her dad, Ryan, and her sister, Chickpea. I’m not sure Maggie knows that we’re featuring Jasmine here, but Alex shared this picture in the NJPP Slack channel and it’s too good to not share with you all. Meow!

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Have a fact or figure for us? Tweet it to @NJPolicy. 

Friday Facts and Figures: October 6, 2023

Posted on by Louis DiPaolo

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond.
Sign up here.

1,700

The nurses strike at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital heads into day 65 as contract negotiations ended on Friday without a deal. The 1,700 nurses are seeking safe staffing ratios that would require at least one nurse for every five patients. Over the last year alone, nurses at the hospital filed 400 complaints for understaffed and unsafe shifts. “We still want safe staffing, and that’s exactly what we’re on strike for. We want a contract today. We want to settle this and be done. We want to take good care of our patients,” said Renee Bacany, United Steelworkers Local 4-200’s chief shop steward. “But we need to do that with safe staffing.” [NJ Monitor / Dana DiFilippo]

$20

Speaking of strikes … After years of advocacy and organizing — including 450 strikes in the last two years alone — fast food workers in California will see their minimum wage rise to $20 an hour next year thanks to new legislation signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. The law also creates a Fast Food Council that has the power to increase the minimum wage for the industry every year through 2029 so it keeps up with inflation. [AP News / Adam Beam]

13

Now for some exciting health care news: New Jersey’s Department of Health has approved thirteen new harm reduction centers, effectively doubling the number of sites in the state. Until this year, only seven harm reduction centers operated in the state; now, thanks to harm reduction expansion legislation signed into law in 2022, harm reduction centers operate in 12 of New Jersey’s 21 counties. “These approvals represent the continued progress our state is making in reducing the harmful effects of drugs on the lives of countless New Jerseyans,” said Governor Phil Murphy. [Office of the Governor]

Refused

On Tuesday, the Atlantic County commissioners refused to discuss or vote on a resolution urging lawmakers to rescind New Jersey’s sanctuary state. The resolution, which died after no one on the board seconded a motion to consider it, drew widespread and immediate pushback from immigrants’ rights advocates and residents across the county who packed the chamber to testify against it. “Stop playing games with our community; enough is enough,” said Cristian Moreno-Rodriguez, executive director of El Pueblo Unido of Atlantic City. “I hate that you wasted our afternoon for an anti-immigrant and xenophobic resolution.” [The Press of Atlantic City / Michelle Brunetti Post]

ICYMI

Earlier this week we announced our keynote speaker for Progress 2023: Analilia Mejia, Co-Executive Director of the Center for Popular Democracy! Analilia is seriously one of the best organizers and policy advocates out there, and we’re thrilled to have her join us on October 18 at Montclair State University. Register now for this free event by clicking the link, and keep an eye out for more updates on our panel of speakers in the coming week. [NJPP / Progress 2023]

TikToks of NJPP

This past week was both Week of Respect and Banned Book Week — which was fitting given that many of the books at risk of being banned are ones that highlight the experiences of people across different races, genders, and sexualities. Watch the video to learn more, and let our friends at the ACLU of New Jersey know if you’re seeing book bans happening in your community. [NJPP]

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Friday Facts and Figures: September 29, 2023

Posted on by Louis DiPaolo

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond.
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$1 Billion

With NJ Transit facing an unprecedented budget crisis, former Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg joined NJPP earlier this week to urge lawmakers to fully fund the transit agency by extending a modest tax on the most profitable corporations in the world. Without this new funding, NJ Transit will have to close a $1 billion deficit through drastic service cuts and fare hikes that would hurt commuters and the broader economy. So, how did we get here? NJ Transit has been underfunded for decades, is the only agency of its kind in the country without dedicated state funding, and relies on fare box revenues much more than comparable transit systems, according to a new NJPP report released Wednesday. “All those corporations paying the [corporate surcharge] have managed to thrive and do very well in New Jersey,” said Senator Weinberg. “We can extend the [corporate surcharge] without harming anyone and help riders.” [NJ.com / Larry Higgs and NorthJersey.com / Colleen Wilson]

7

Now for some good transit news: NJ Transit will take over several private bus routes in Essex and Hudson Counties that were slated to discontinue in just a few weeks. The agency is adding six new lines and extending a seventh line to replace routes discontinued by O.N.E. and A&C. This is a big win for commuters who would have been stranded without these bus lines; it also highlights the urgent need for lawmakers to fully fund NJ Transit, or else riders across the state will similarly risk losing their bus and train service to budget cuts. [Gothamist / Michelle Bocanegra and Catalina Gonella]

25,000

Temperatures in New Jersey are expected to rise by more than 5 degrees by 2050, yet the state does not have any heat safety standards for workers — including the roughly 25,000 farmworkers who put the Garden in Garden State. This year is expected to be the hottest on record, and environmental experts expect heat-related deaths to double over the next three decades and temperatures continue to rise. This underscores the urgency of worker protections like paid heat breaks and access to shade during excessively hot days, especially for a workforce excluded from basic labor protections, including the right to form a union. [NJ Spotlight News / Michael Sol Warren and Karen Yi]

$15.13

New Jersey’s minimum wage will rise to $15.13 next year — but this much-anticipated milestone is a mixed bag, as NJPP’s Peter Chen explained to ROI-NJ. “This minimum wage increase is the well-deserved and historic culmination of decades of organizing and tireless efforts by low-wage workers, labor unions and advocacy groups throughout New Jersey,” Peter said. But recent spikes in inflation, as well as carve outs in the law, have wiped out potential gains for workers as the minimum wage is still out of sync with the state’s cost of living. “In 2019 dollars, a $15 wage today is only worth $12.30,” Peter added. [ROI-NJ]

ICYMI

Some news from last week (and proof that Twitter is real life): The Murphy administration stopped a Gloucester County school district from penalizing students with school lunch debt. After the new school policy was first reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, NJPP’s Peter Chen pointed out on Twitter that this was a clear violation of New Jersey’s Hunger-Free Students’ Bill of Rights, and the state stepped in shortly after. More on this below. [NJ Spotlight News / Hannah Gross]

TikToks of NJPP

In a new TikTok, NJPP’s Erica Boland breaks down what happened with school lunches in Deptford, the backlash on social media, and why children should not be punished or shamed for something out of their control. [NJPP]

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Friday Facts and Figures: September 15, 2023

Posted on by Louis DiPaolo

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond.
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12.4 Percent

The Census released new data this week and … it’s not great. The big finding: Child poverty in the United States more than doubled over the last year, from 5 percent to 12.4 percent. How did this happen? As federal pandemic assistance programs expired, most notably the expanded Child Tax Credit, millions of families no longer had the resources to afford their most basic needs. This is proof that child poverty is a policy choice, and we have solutions proven to work. All we’re lacking is the political will. “It’s clear from the federal data that if you give families money, they can reduce child poverty,” said NJPP’s Peter Chen in a televised interview with NJ Spotlight News. [NJ Spotlight News / Brianna Vannozzi]

$96,346

Also in the Census data: New Jersey households have the highest median income of any state in the country at $96,346 — roughly $21,000 higher than the national average. This *should* dispel unsubstantiated claims that high-income families are fleeing the state, but we know it probably won’t since we’re talking about real data here and not just vibes and surveys from random moving companies. [NJ.com / Katie Kausch]

70 Percent

Women and people of color are vastly underrepresented in New Jersey government, according to new data released by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Men account for more than 70 percent of all officeholders — with white men alone holding 56 percent of positions at the congressional, state, and county levels. The disparities are far worse at the local level, where in municipalities with more than 30,000 residents, a whopping 87 percent of mayors are men, and 67 percent are white men. Just spitballing here, but maybe our system of having political party chairs (who are mostly white men) pick candidates instead of voters isn’t the best way to find the most representative candidates for office. [NJ Globe / David Wildstein]

Outdated

New Jersey’s school funding levels are based on outdated learning goals and have not kept up with new, more rigorous standards for students, according to an NJPP report released this week. The state’s school funding formula was enacted in 2009, but standards have changed since — and the formula hasn’t. The report finds that in order for all students to have the resources they need to meet higher learning standards, New Jersey’s school funding formula will need small but significant tweaks so students, especially in high-poverty districts, have a fair shot at success. “This is a new generation of kids facing new and different challenges,” said report co-author Bruce D. Baker. “The school funding formula needs to adapt to these changes.” [NJ.com / Tina Kelley]

ICYMI

Police in New Jersey have fatally shot at least nine people this year — including the tragic shooting of Andrew Washington in Jersey City last month while he was experiencing a mental health crisis. Still, calls for police reform, non-police mental health responses, and community led violence intervention programs have stalled in Trenton. [NJ Spotlight News / Colleen O’Dea]

TikToks of NJPP

A few years ago, New Jersey had roughly 90,000 uninsured children without health insurance — but not anymore! Senior Policy Analyst Brittany Holom-Trundy breaks down the success of the Cover All Kids program and how it’s bringing New Jersey closer to having every child insured. [NJPP]

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Friday Facts and Figures: August 18

Posted on by Louis DiPaolo

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond.
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10,267

The number of New Jersey residents who are homeless has surpassed 10,000 for the first time since 2015, according to a new report by Monarch Housing Associates. The study cites a lack of affordable housing, rent increases, and an end to the moratorium on evictions during the pandemic as the main drivers of the rise in homelessness. These numbers not only underscore the severity of the housing crisis but the stark racial disparities in wealth and income: While Black residents represent a mere 12 percent of New Jersey’s total population, they account for 47 percent of those identified as homeless. To be clear, this degree of homelessness is a policy choice, and lawmakers could be doing much more to solve it. [NJ Spotlight News / Genesis Obando]

86,000

More than 86,000 previously uninsured children now have high-quality health insurance thanks to New Jersey’s Cover All Kids initiative, including more than 24,000 children who are undocumented or whose residency status is in flux. Signed into law in 2021, Cover All Kids removed barriers to health insurance so no child is uninsured. The law expanded eligibility for NJ FamilyCare (the state’s Medicaid program), improved the enrollment process, and expanded outreach efforts to eligible families. “It’s really profound and hard to understate how big of a change this is,” said Dr. Douglas Bishop of Zufall Health. [NJ Spotlight News / Lilo Stainton]

6

Now for some not so great health news: Earlier this week, Governor Murphy signed legislation that doubles the time hospitals can involuntarily commit patients experiencing a mental health crisis, from three days to six. The bill quickly advanced through the Legislature during the final weeks of budget season despite opposition from mental health professionals and advocates for civil and disability rights. “For us, it’s always essential that policy is evidence-based, but I think that’s especially true when people’s personal freedom is at risk,” said Ami Kachalia of the ACLU of New Jersey, noting the lack of evidence to support this change. [NJ Monitor / Dana DiFilippo]

Free

Big shoutout to Massachusetts, where the latest state budget will make school lunch free for all K-12 students! How’d they do it? With revenue from their new millionaires’ tax, which will raise $1 billion annually. But wait, there’s more. Revenue from the new tax will also make community college free for students 25 and older, increase the number of child care slots for low-income families, help expand pre-K across the state, and fund improvements to transit infrastructure. Let’s hope New Jersey lawmakers see this and rethink the $1 billion tax cut they want to give to big corporations like Amazon at the end of the calendar year. [NPR / Ayana Archie]

ICYMI

New Jersey’s community solar pilot program is now permanent, following a unanimous vote by the state’s Board of Public Utilities earlier this week. The program funds large solar projects on rooftops and other areas, and then makes that clean energy available to low- and moderate-income households (including renters) who would not be able to install solar panels on their own. More on this below. [NJ Spotlight News / Tom Johnson]

Pets of NJPP

Speaking of community solar — NJPP’s latest TikTok features Alex Ambrose touring a new community solar project in Piscataway. Check it out! [NJPP]

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Friday Facts and Figures: August 11, 2023

Posted on by Louis DiPaolo

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond.
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66 Percent

Turns out increasing state funding for NJ Transit is not only good public policy but incredibly popular with residents across the state. According to a new poll by Rutgers-Eagleton, two out of three residents (66 percent) want lawmakers to increase state aid to NJ Transit, and nearly four out of five residents (78 percent) oppose service cuts. Without more state aid, NJ Transit faces a nearly $1 billion shortfall in two years. As of now, state lawmakers have no plans to increase funding for the transit agency, and Murphy administration officials have stated they will explore service cuts and fare hikes before considering more state aid. Keep in mind, NJ Transit is the largest transit agency of its kind in the country without a dedicated source of funding. [NJ.com / Larry Higgs]

3

There are three major red flags in the latest state budget that threaten New Jersey’s finances and the future of critical public services (including NJ Transit). A new report by the NJPP team finds that: the current budget spends $1.5 billion more than the state is collecting in tax revenue, new tax cuts and credits will erode revenue collections in future years, and major programs and services face looming shortfalls with federal pandemic aid about to expire. “This is unsustainable and will lead to serious shortfalls and hard decisions in the years to come,” said NJPP’s Peter Chen. [Patch / Eric Kiefer]

Misinformation

When it comes to clean energy policy, fossil fuel funded groups and right wing politicians are polluting the facts with misinformation, so let’s get it straight: No, no one is coming to take your gas stove. What’s really happening? The state wants to give residents financial incentives (read: money) to replace their gas stove with an electric one. That’s it. “There has been a lot of misinformation and, yes, fearmongering out there, and I want to put an end to it once and for all,” said Joseph Fiordaliso, President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. [Gothamist / Nancy Solomon]

10

We just wrote last week about how sales tax holidays are costly gimmicks that don’t help families that need it the most. But for the second year in a row, New Jersey is offering a 10-day tax holiday on school supplies, resulting in an estimated $32.7 million revenue loss for the state — funds that could be used to provide meaningful and targeted relief to households with the lowest incomes. While the sales tax holiday may sound like it’ll help working families keep up with rising costs, it disproportionately benefits wealthier households with better flexibility to shift purchases. [NJ Spotlight News / John Reitmeyer]

ICYMI

There are a lot of friendly faces on this year’s Insider 100: Policymakers Power List — including NJPP President Nicole Rodriguez and NJPP Board Chair Marcia Marley! Big shout out to all of the advocates and policy experts recognized here. [Insider NJ]

Pets of NJPP

Meet Loki, Karlito Almeda’s adorable Siamese cat! Loki acts more like a dog than a cat, according to Karlito. Case in point: He hates seafood and would much prefer some chicken or steak. Meow … or is it woof?

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Friday Facts and Figures: August 4, 2023

Posted on by Louis DiPaolo

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond.
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RIP

New Jersey lost a progressive champion this week with the passing of Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver. The first Black woman to serve as Speaker of the Assembly, Oliver dedicated her life to public service at the local and state levels. During her tenure in the Legislature, she spearheaded efforts for marriage equality, to raise the minimum wage for all workers, and was the original sponsor of the Temp Workers’ Bill of Rights. Our deepest condolences go out to the Oliver family. [Politico / Ry Rivard and Daniel Han]

56

Public education is under attack across the country, and New Jersey is no exception. Just last week, a faction of right-wing “parents’ rights” school board members voted to eliminate mental health services for the Ramapo Indian Hills district in northern Bergen County. The surprise vote, which shocked students, parents, and district employees, would have left roughly 56 students without mental health services in the upcoming school year. Fortunately, the school board held a special meeting this past Tuesday to reinstate the mental health services in response to widespread criticism and pushback from within the community. Big shoutout to Marsha Stoltz at The Record for breaking the story last week. [NJ Spotlight News / Brenda Flanagan]

$1.6 Billion

A new report finds that sales tax holidays — like New Jersey’s back-to-school holiday — come at a significant cost while providing minimal benefits to families who need the most help. The 19 states with sales tax holidays planned for this year are expected to lose a collective $1.6 billion dollars, with most savings going to wealthier households since they have flexibility to shift the timing of their spending to take advantage of the tax break. [Chalkboard News / Julian Roberts-Grmela]

New Record

With state lawmakers considering fare hikes and service cuts for NJ Transit, the DC metro region shows a better path forward. The public bus system in Alexandria, DASH, has increased service frequency and eliminated fares entirely — and they’re setting new ridership records as a result. Roughly 4.5 million riders have boarded DASH buses this year, a 200,000 increase from the previous record set in 2015. Who would have guessed that more people want to use public transit when the trip is free and service is frequent? [DCist / Margaret Barthel]

ICYMI

With congestion pricing turning into a game of political football, The Star-Ledger Editorial Board brings some hard facts to debate, outlining how this will reduce traffic (good), reduce air pollution (also good), and help fund a subway system that 200,000 New Jerseyans use daily (also good). The editorial also quotes NJPP Policy Analyst Alex Ambrose, who noted, “In every city where it’s implemented, all the science shows that congestion pricing reduces traffic and air pollution.” [The Star-Ledger / Editorial Board]

Pets of NJPP

Sorry, no pet this week (maybe they’re all on summer vacation?). If you have a pet you want featured, send us a picture and some fun facts!

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Have a fact or figure for us? Tweet it to @NJPolicy. 

Friday Facts and Figures: July 28, 2023

Posted on by Louis DiPaolo

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond.
Sign up here.

127,000

In a big win for workers across the state, a federal judge has allowed the Temp Workers’ Bill of Rights to take effect next week after staffing agencies and business lobbyists sued to stop it. The landmark law extends workplace protections to the roughly 127,000 temp workers in New Jersey and requires staffing agencies to pay temp workers the same wages and benefits that their full-time counterparts make. Until now, the temp industry remained largely unregulated, with agencies paying less than the minimum wage and subjecting their workers to unsafe conditions. In the court hearing, lawyers for the staffing agencies asked how they should calculate proper pay and benefits, insinuating it would be too hard given the many factors that determine pay. Here’s how US District Court Judge Christine O’Hearn responded: “By raising these questions, plaintiffs have given away the game: they are tacitly admitting that they know exactly the sort of relevant factors that ought to be considered.” Oof. [NJ Monitor / Sophie Nieto-Muñoz]

Public Reporting

Take it from us, access to public data is an important part of the policymaking process. It allows researchers, reporters, lawmakers, and members of the public alike to identify trends, disparities, and opportunities for targeted policy solutions. The good news is that state lawmakers advance bills every session that mandate public reporting of all sorts of data. The bad news? A lot of these mandated reports are never released, and even when they are, they are often late or fall short of what the law requires. “It’s hard to know, externally, whether something is a capacity problem, a willpower problem, or a funding problem,” said NJPP’s Peter Chen, who also noted that state agencies and departments have far fewer staff members today than twenty years ago. [NJ Monitor / Dana DiFilippo]

13

While the 13th Amendment ended slavery in the United States, it still allows for involuntary servitude “as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” There is pending legislation to change that in New Jersey, but the proposal has yet to receive a hearing in the Legislature. “There is no justification for this modern-day slavery,” said NJPP’s Marleina Ubel. “We have to remember that these are human beings with families and communities and futures. Being incarcerated shouldn’t change anyone’s right to work with dignity, fair pay, safe conditions, and freedom from coercion.” [NorthJersey.com / Katie Sobko]

Wrong

Earlier this week, Senator Bob Menendez condemned the Biden administration for supporting a private prison’s lawsuit challenging New Jersey’s ban on immigrant detention contracts. Unless a federal judge stops New Jersey from enforcing its law, CoreCivic’s contract with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will expire at the end of August. “I think these private detention facilities are fundamentally wrong,” said Senator Menendez, who has raised concerns about the private prison in Elizabeth since the 1990s. “I don’t think they uphold high standards.” [NJ Monitor / Sophie Nieto-Muñoz]

ICYMI

In an op-ed that ran in The Record earlier this week, NJPP’s Alex Ambrose and Jaqi Cohen of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign outline all the ways congestion pricing will benefit residents of New Jersey and New York alike. They also brought facts to the debate, highlighting how an outstanding majority of New Jersey commuters take public transit into Manhattan. These points were echoed by Charles Stile in a column that ran the following day. [NorthJersey.com / Alex Ambrose and Jacqi Cohen]

Pets of NJPP

Say hello to Alex’s cat, Triscuit, seen here supervising the construction of a new cat tower. Meow!

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Have a fact or figure for us? Tweet it to @NJPolicy. 

Friday Facts and Figures: July 21, 2023

Posted on by Louis DiPaolo

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond.
Sign up here.

Death Spiral

Without additional funding from state lawmakers, NJ Transit will face a budget deficit so large that it could cause a “transit death spiral,” according to Zoe Baldwin, New Jersey Director at the Regional Plan Association. How? If the agency is forced to close its projected $1 billion shortfall through fare hikes and drastic service cuts, those maneuvers would undercut service and result in even fewer riders, which would then lead to more budget shortfalls and service cuts. It doesn’t have to be this way, however. Lots of states dedicate funding to their transit agencies so funding isn’t tied to fares from riders or the whims of politicians — and NJ Transit is the largest transit agency of its kind without a dedicated source of revenue. Maybe we should change that. [NorthJersey.com / Colleen Wilson]

Lawsuit

Instead of finding new ways to fund and improve mass transit (like our friends across the river in New York are), New Jersey lawmakers are instead spending taxpayer dollars on a new lawsuit to stop congestion pricing in New York City. The congestion pricing plan will charge drivers entering downtown Manhattan and benefit residents of both New York and New Jersey by reducing traffic, reducing air pollution, and funding subways that commuters from both states rely on. It’s worth noting that more than 9 in 10 New Jersey commuters take public transit into the city, and in the four-plus years that lawmakers have known about this plan, they’ve done little to improve or expand NJ Transit service. [CNN / Nathaniel Meyersohn]

2035

Now for some good transit news: The Murphy administration proposed a new rule this week to promote zero emission vehicles and reduce air pollution across the state. Once adopted, the rule will require auto manufacturers to only sell zero emission vehicles by 2035. This should significantly cut down emissions in the transportation sector, which is currently the largest source of air pollution in New Jersey. And while this pollution harms all of us, it disproportionately hurts low-income, Black, and Hispanic/Latinx residents who are more likely to live near congested roads and highways. [NJ BIZ / Matthew Fazelpoor]

August 31

The Biden administration is supporting a lawsuit against New Jersey by CoreCivic — a private prison company with a facility in Elizabeth — challenging the state’s ban on immigrant detention contracts. CoreCivic is the last remaining immigrant detention facility in the state and is set to close on August 31 when their contract expires. The facility is notorious for its unsafe conditions and inhumane treatment of those detained. The facility has no windows, only one bathroom for every 40 people, and lacks basic hygiene products like pads and soap. The immigrants detained here are not charged with or convicted of crimes, and many are asylum-seekers with claims of persecution in their home countries. [Gothamist / Matt Katz]

ICYMI

NJPP’s Alex Ambrose was on NJ Spotlight News earlier this week to talk about the looming fiscal cliff at NJ Transit and how lawmakers can fix it. “The issue is, NJ Transit does not get enough state funding,” Alex told NJ Spotlight’s Brenda Flanagan. [NJ Spotlight News / Brenda Flanagan]

Pets of NJPP

Meet Jefferson, an African penguin from Adventure Aquarium in Camden! NJPP President Nicole Rodriguez met Jefferson this week while she was at a conference in South Jersey, and now they’re best buds. Shout out to Staci Berger from the Housing Network for sending me pics of Jefferson for this week’s Pets of NJPP feature. Honk!

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Have a fact or figure for us? Tweet it to @NJPolicy. 

Friday Facts and Figures: July 14, 2023

Posted on by Louis DiPaolo

Friday Facts and Figures is a weekly newsletter with data points, analysis, and commentary on the biggest policy debates in New Jersey and beyond.
Sign up here.

1 in 7

New Jersey is one of the wealthiest states in the nation, yet one in seven children currently live in poverty. In a new editorial, The Star Ledger recommends state lawmakers address this by expanding the Child Tax Credit this fall so more children and families qualify, citing an NJPP report by Peter Chen that recommends extending the credit to kids up to age 12. From the editorial: “New Jersey should be the best place to raise a child, not the most arduous. We have proof that boosting a family’s income pays long-term dividends, because it improves a child’s health, education outcome, and life. We can’t make a better investment.” [The Star-Ledger / Editorial Board]

46 Percent

The New Jersey State Police pull over Black and Hispanic/Latinx drivers at an “unacceptable” rate, according to a new analysis of more than 6 million traffic stops between 2009 and 2021. The report found that Black and Hispanic/Latinx drivers represented 46 percent of all traffic stops and were more likely to be searched, asked to step out of their vehicles, arrested, and face use of force — even though those searches were less likely to yield evidence of a crime. The study also found that Black and brown drivers were more likely to be pulled over during the daytime, when the sun is out and skin color is more visible. [Gothamist / Arya Sundaram]

8 Percent

A mere eight percent of New Jersey lawmakers received an ‘A’ rating on racial justice issues in a new report card released by the New Jersey Black Empowerment Coalition. Meanwhile, 25 percent of lawmakers received ‘D’ grades. These scores are a testament to the types of bills that the Legislature has prioritized in the last couple of years — from tax cuts that disproportionately benefit white residents to “tough on crime” bills that will disproportionately harm Black residents. “Bills that would help support marginalized communities are being left and not being moved forward, and I think that is a concern, not just for African Americans and other marginalized communities, but for the state of New Jersey,” said Tomas Varela Jr., the group’s Executive Director. [NJ Monitor / Nikita Biryukov] 

6 Percent

Rutgers University is raising tuition by 6 percent, more than double last year’s increase. While there are a lot of factors that go into tuition rates, this is part of a larger trend where most states are providing significantly less funding to colleges and universities than they did prior to the Great Recession, passing the costs on to students. This is a great example of what happens when lawmakers prioritize billion-dollar tax cuts for corporations and wealthy homeowners instead of investing those funds in public goods that benefit all of us. [NJ.com / Tina Kelley] 

ICYMI

The Fund for New Jersey is looking for a new President! Check out the job posting and make sure to share it with anyone who you think would be a great fit. [Fund for New Jersey]

Pets of NJPP

NJPP Policy Director Awinna Martinez’s pup Lulu has a fresh haircut and is ready for the summer. Woof!

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